1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box mounted on vehicles and mainly distributing power sources.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical connection boxes in various configurations are used on vehicles. FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary configuration of such an electrical connection box. An electrical connection box 301 illustrated in FIG. 15 includes a frame 302, an upper cover 303 that covers an upper surface 302a of the frame 302, a lower cover 304 that covers a lower surface 302b of the frame 302, and a plurality of blocks 306 and 307 installed in the frame 302.
Each of the blocks 306 and 307 is provided with parts such as a relay, a fuse, bus bars 313a and 313c, and these parts are connected to electrical wires 309a, 309b, and 309c. The electrical wires 309a, 309b, and 309c are extended from the lower surfaces of the blocks 306 and 307 toward the direction of the lower cover 304.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-068274 describes an electrical connection box having a similar configuration as that of the above-described electrical connection box 301. An electrical connection box (1) in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-068274 includes a box body (2) corresponding to the frame 302, an upper cover (6), a lower cover (5), and a plurality of blocks (3) installed in the box body (2).
In the above-described electrical connection box 301, a space S formed under the block 306 is used only for routing the electrical wires 309a and 309b. The electrical connection box 301 problematically has a space-inefficient configuration due to such a wide empty space.
It is possible to place another block in the space S formed under the block 306. In this case, however, merely placing another block requires a certain level of height dimension of the block 306, a routing space for the electrical wires 309a and 309b, a certain level of the height dimension of the other block, and a routing space for an electrical wire extended from the other block. Such a problem may be caused that the frame 302 cannot accommodate all the parts unless the height dimension of the frame 302 is increased.